Unit Title: Exploring Story Elements Through Fairy TalesDesigned By: Jennifer JoinesGrade Level: 1st GradeContent Area: Language ArtsTime Frame: 4 Sessions

Unit Summary:This unit is designed to not only support curriculum standards but also encourage a love of reading through the exploration of fairy tales. The unit is divided up into 4 teaching sessions. On the first day, students will be introduced to the concept of fairytales as a genre. The second and third sessions expose students to some nontraditional fairy tales. The forth session, is the culminating lesson. Here students will use an interactive website to write original fairy tales.

Materials Needed:Books:

Rapunzel, The Wolf Who Cried Boy, Sootface: An Ojibwa Cinderella Story,The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, Cinderella

Technology:SMART Board, laptops, Internet access

Art Supplies:Paper, markers, crayons

Improvisation Game:Paper bag, strips of paper with the names of characters printed on them

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results:Learner Analysis: This class of 18 first graders is comprised of nine boys and nine girls. Of these 18 students, eight are of African American heritage. All of the other students are Caucasian. All of the students are reading on grade level; however, according to the teacher, three of those students (all boys) complain that they don’t like to read. The teacher is afraid that if their reading habits do not change, these students will not continue to read on grade level. There are no gifted students in this classroom, nor are there any students who receive special education support services. The teacher reports that all of her students are in good health and have not been diagnosed with any learning or behavior disabilities.

GPS Standards:Standard: ELA1R6 Comprehension: The student uses a variety of strategies to understand and gain meaning from grade-level text.Elements:

a. Reads and listens to a variety of texts for information and pleasure. b. Makes predictions using prior knowledge. c. Asks and answers questions about essential narrative elements (e.g., beginning-

middle-end, setting, characters, problems, events, resolution) of a read-aloud or independently read text.

l. Recognizes plot, setting, and character within texts, and compares and contrasts these elements among texts.

21st Century Learner Standard4.1 Skills 4.1.1 Read, view, and listen for pleasure and personal growth.4.1.3 Respond to literature and creative expressions of ideas in various formats and genres.

Essential Questions:1. What does a fairy tale tell us?2. What are the characters in a fairy tale like?3. Can I predict what might happen in a fairy tale?4. Can reading be as fun as watching television or playing games?

Desired Understandings:1. Fairy tales are form of reading for entertainment.2. Characters in fairytales can be human or animal, boy or girl, magical or mortal.3. Readers can predict the plot of fairytales.

What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit?Students will know…

The parts of a fairytale Reading is fun!

Students will be able to… How to predict what might happen in the plot of a fairy tale. How to identify the beginning, middle, and ending of a fairy tale. How to retell a story through drawing. How to talk about the characters and lessons learned from fairy tales.

Stage 2—Determine Acceptable EvidencePerformance Tasks:

Students will demonstrate their understanding of a particular fairy tale through participating in a improvisation game.

Students will draw a picture of a particular scene from a shared fairy tale and discuss how the plot or characters are reflected in their drawing.

Students will use create their own fractured fairy tale using this site found athttp://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/fairytales/

Stage 3: Planning

W Where are your students headed and Why?What is required of them?

Where and Why?Our study of fairy tales will begin with a discussion of what are and why they are so fun to read. We will also discuss why humans the world over find fairy tales a good place to learn valuable life lessons. We will discuss where, besides their literature class, students might encounter fairy tales. What is required of me?This unit is designed to not only support curriculum standards but also encourage a love of reading through the exploration of fairy tales. The unit is divided up into 4 teaching sessions. On the first day, students will be introduced to the concept of fairy tales as a genre. The second and third sessions expose students to some nontraditional fairy tales. The forth session, is the culminating lesson. Here students will use an interactive website to write original fairy tales.

H How will the students be hooked and held in this unit?

Students will participate in an improvisation/charades game. Students will reach inside of a bag and pull out a slip of paper. On this paper is the name of a traditional fairy tale character such as Snow White or Repunzel. The student will then act out a small portion of the fairytale involving their character. Their classmates will try to guess what character and/or fairy tale is being performed.

E What activities, instruction, and guidance will be provided to enable and equip students to explore and experience the important ideas in this unit?

In order to explore and experience fairy tales, students will:-Become familiar with new vocabulary specific to the fairy tale.-Read and share fairy tales.-Produce a drawing of a fairy tale and discuss the plot.

R What activities, products and performances will be designed to provide students with the opportunity to reflect, rethink, and revise?

Assessments:1. Improve game2. drawing3. Fractured Fairy Tale site

Reflections:1. Self-assessment

E What self-assessments and self-evaluations will students participate in to allow for reflection and transfer of learning?

Students will complete a self-reflection activity that is designed to help them determine their understanding of fairy tales.

T How will instruction and activities be tailored to provide for the various learning needs, styles, knowledge and interests of students?

Students will have the opportunity to express what they’ve learned about fairy tales through written and artistic expression.

OHow will learning experiences be organized/sequenced to provide for greatest acquisition/understanding Pretest:Fairy tale discussion/Improvisation gameHook: Improvisation gamePerspective, Empathy, Self-Knowledge:-Students will take on the role of an audience as they listen to and respond to a reading of several fairy

tales.Conclusion – Students write their own fractured fairy tale.

OrganizationSession One Introduce the concept of fairy tales.

Read a traditional fairy tale: Repunzel Improvisation game

TOTAL 30 minutes

Session Two Read the fractured fairy tale entitled The Wolf Who Cried Boy by Bob Hartman.

Discuss how this story parallels the parable of The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

Discuss the lesson learned from both stories. Discuss the concept of character. Have students identify characters

from the story. Role-play: Why Lying Never Works

Divide students into groups of three. Give them a scenario involving one person telling a lie as the conflict. Have the students plan and act out a scene that resolves the conflict.

TOTAL 40 minutes

Session Three Read the traditional fairy tale Cinderella Read the fairy tale Sootface: An Ojibwa Cinderella Story Compare the lesson taught in each fairy tale Discuss the concepts of beginning, middle, and end Have students draw a picture of either the beginning, middle, or end of

the story. Have students discuss their picture as it relates to the plot of the story.

TOTAL 30 minutes

Session Four Read the fractured fairy tale The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith.

Pair students into groups of two. One group works with one laptop computer.

Students go to site and create their own fractured fairy tale. Share the funny tales with the class.

TOTAL 30 minutes